Many baby food products now offer blended meals in a relatively flexible pouch. For busy families, this is a convenient method for providing healthy, creative flavor combinations ideal for young developing palates. However, the universal dispensing spout used with such baby food products may be problematic for various reasons. For instance, the universal dispensing spout features a wide diameter, intended for “easy-flow” of the food products contained therein. However, young children have limited motor skills and typically cannot manipulate pressure on the pouch accurately enough to avoid spilling its contents. Additionally, accidentally dropping the pouch may cause spills, creating messes and wasting necessary calories, nutrients, and money.
The universal dispensing spout also features a rigid structure with sharp corners, which structure is necessary for the food-filling process and to ensure the safety of the pouch contents. However, the target age group for pouch foods is curious, and often teething, and therefore they naturally love to feel, taste, and chew on the pouch spout, in addition to the pouch contents. Biting the spout can be tremendously painful for infants and young children, causing lacerations to their tongue, gums, or lips. Such injuries are discouraging for both baby and parent because transitioning to real food from milk or formula should be a positive milestone, not a painful one.